Johnny and Bobby
by Fiend-like-queen
Summary: Carter derives peace from past reflections........I suck at summaries!


JOHNNY AND BOBBY

JOHNNY AND BOBBY

** **

DISCLAIMER: I stake no claim to the characters in this 

story; no matter how hard I try, Carter will 

never be mine (and believe me, I've tried

witchcraft and everythingJ). Oh, I do jest…

NOTES: This is my first fic, so be warned! This story is inspired by a

scene from the film "Hilary and Jackie". It's a bit o'fluff, 

really!

And now on with the scheduled feature presentation………..

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Memories are, for the most part, treasures, precious stones to place in your heart. There are of course, pieces of stone that creep in to poison the past. But today, as I sit here quietly at one with my thoughts, I do nothing but reminisce happily. Sure, I've had my fair share of personal tragedy, but the tranquillity here in this graveyard makes it fade into oblivion. Lucy, Dennis, heck, even Abby and Anna, disappear into the wind.

They always say that the hardest thing for a parent is to bury a child. My memories of that event are vague; I was young and naïve. The funeral procession marched forward, I copied everyone's sombre expression and kept in time to their steps towards the cemetery. It's strange what you remember of your youth- I don't recall feeling particularly sad, merely confused as to why everyone else was. My mother almost collapsed as the coffin was lowered into the ground, my father's deep eyes glazed over, and my sister Barbara pulled me in close to her chest. It was a gesture I'll never forget. I do remember that I had a special duty to perform that day as I stood in the cold, adorned in a miniature copy of my father's black suit. And so I dropped the single white rose I had clutched dearly all day into the earth, where my brother's body rested. It bore no symbolism through my six-year-old eyes, but now as I lay a similar rose on Bobby's grave twenty-four years later, I wish I could recapture the innocence of that time.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Lord bless you and keep you

_The Lord makes his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you._

_The Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you and give you peace._

_Amen._

_ _

The words of that familiar prayer reverberate in my mind as I utter it to the headstone I look upon. Instantly I feel the peace it professes, and I'm thinking, finally, some divine intervention.

And I let myself slip into the past, becoming kindred with the five-year-old John Truman Carter……..

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Two young boys dashed across the private beach, invigorated by the fresh sea air, their juvenile minds were bursting with plans for the summer. They stopped as they spied a figure in the distance. The brown eyes of the younger grew wide and he enquired:

"Who is it, Bobby? He's looking at us!"

The nine-year-old placed his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"You want me to go see for ya, Johnny?"

The younger boy squared his shoulders and replied:

"No, it's okay, I'll go!"

He bounded towards the stranger, who was smiling warmly at him. It was a man, clad in a crisp shirt and tie, with trousers held in place by colourful suspenders. His brown eyes gazed at the child standing facing him.

"Who are you?" the boy demanded.

The man knelt down and looked him straight in the eye, taking a deep breath.

"I just want to tell you that everything's going to be alright, Carter."

The boy smiled, not understanding, and ran back to his brother Bobby to play some more. The man stood and watched them as they frolicked in the sand.

"Everything is fine…", he whispered into the air.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

ROBERT JEFFERSON CARTER

**Beloved Son and Brother**

**1966-1976**

**"Suffer Little Children To Come Unto Me"**

** **

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As I lie here on the grass beside Bobby's grave, I feel calm. He's always with me, I realise that now. Staring into the sky, I know that, yes, everything is alright…..

* Goodnight, Bobby *


End file.
